MARVEL MARATHON DEEP DIVE
IRONHEART
Ironheart premiered on Disney+ on 24 June 2025 with its first three episodes, followed by the other three on 1 July. Dominique Thorne returns as Riri Williams, a young Chicago inventor drawn into a deal with a supernatural figure.
FROM A FILM CAMEO TO A SERIES
HOW IRONHEART WAS MADE
Kevin Feige announced the series in December 2020 along with Dominique Thorne’s casting. Chinaka Hodge was hired as head writer in April 2021, and Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes joined in April 2022 to direct three episodes each. Thorne first appears as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the series is set after that film.
Principal photography had begun by 2 June 2022 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta under the working title Wise Guy, moved to Chicago from late October to 3 November 2022, and wrapped by early November 2022. Dara Taylor composed the score.
“doesn’t have to walk the traditional hero path.”
Dominique Thorne on Riri Williams
A TEAM AND A TEMPTER
WHO IS IN THE CAST
The cast includes Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins, Lyric Ross as Natalie Washington, Matthew Elam as Xavier Washington, Alden Ehrenreich as Zeke Stane, Shea Couleé as Slug, Zoe Terakes as Jeri Blood, Shakira Barrera as Roz Blood, Eric André as Stuart Clarke and Manny Montana as John, and Sacha Baron Cohen is introduced to the MCU as Mephisto.
TWO BATCHES OF THREE
HOW THE SERIES WAS RECEIVED
The six episodes ran from “Take Me Home” on 24 June 2025 to “The Past Is the Past” on 1 July 2025, with runtimes from 42 to 60 minutes. The series was review bombed on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb before its premiere, and Parrot Analytics measured demand at 17.6 times the US average in June 2025.
Rotten Tomatoes lists a 76% critics’ score from 131 reviews and a 46% audience score, and its consensus says Thorne “ignites the MCU skies with charisma and confidence to boot.” Metacritic gives it 57 from 25 critics and a user score of 2.5. Ben Travers of IndieWire gave it a B, finding it not “fully equipped to wrestle with the ethical arguments it introduces,” while Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave it three stars out of five.
THE REWATCH
NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINS
Chinaka Hodge won the NAACP Image Award for outstanding breakthrough creative in television and Deanna Nowell won for outstanding editing, among several nominations. A mid-credits scene shows Parker asking for help obtaining “big magic,” and the series concludes Phase Five.
In the Marvel Marathon it sits in the MCU release order guide between Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. It sits between Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 and Wonder Man Season 1 in the MCU series order and Marvel TV shows in order guides. In the MCU timeline guide it comes between Thor: Love and Thunder and Werewolf by Night.
QUICK ANSWERS
IRONHEART WATCH QUESTIONS
Do I need to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever first?
Yes. Riri Williams first appears in that film, and the series is set after it.
How many episodes does Ironheart have?
Six, released in two batches of three on 24 June and 1 July 2025.
Is there a second season?
None had been confirmed by October 2026. Marvel was taking a wait-and-see approach by May 2025.
Which Marvel Marathon guides include Ironheart?
It appears in the MCU release order, MCU series order, Marvel TV shows in order and MCU timeline guides. In the timeline it sits between Thor: Love and Thunder and Werewolf by Night.
EDITORIAL NOTES
SOURCES AND UPDATES
Development, production, release, reception and awards details are checked against a series reference, episode data and aggregator scores, cited individually below.